Revelation

• Revelation


  When something that was hidden becomes known
• Types of revelation


  • General (or indirect) revelation
  • Special (or direct) revelation
• General (or indirect) revelation

  Available to everyone, revealed through the natural world, conscience, people, awareness of morality, scripture or reason
• Special (or direct) revelation


  Revelation directly to an individual or sometimes a group, through a dream, a vision, a miracle, experience, or prophecy
• St. Paul's special revelation

  1. Blinded by a bright light

  2. Jesus appeared to him

  3. Told to continue to Damascus

  4. Saul became blind

  5. Regained sight through a vision of Ananias

  6. Filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized

  7. Preached Christ in the synagogues
• Enlightenment


  To have a new understanding or insight
• St. Paul's revelation


  It changed his life
• Muhammad's special revelation


  1. Spent time alone meditating

  2. Angel Gabriel appeared

  3. Received first words of revelation

  4. Shared message with people

  5. Moved to Madinah and taught people
• Special revelations


  They are often life changing
• Sources of general revelation

  • Nature
  • Reason and conscience
  • Scriptures and holy books
  • Religious leaders
• Nature as general revelation

  • Sense of awe and wonder
  • Evidence that God is immanent
  • Qualities like harmony and beauty come from God
  • Laws of science show God's design
• Nature can give people a sense of awe and wonder about God
• Even an atheist can feel a sense of awe and wonder about the planet, they just won't attribute it to God
• Conscience and reason as general revelation

  • Hindus believe they can open themselves up to Brahman through their mind and attitude
  • Christians believe conscience is the voice of God and reason is given by God
  • Muslims believe conscience can guide them to what Allah wants them to do
  • Buddhists do not understand revelation to be an intervention of a God
• Hadith: 'When a thing disturbs your heart, give it up'
• Conscience


  (in Christianity) the voice of God, guiding individuals to do the right thing
• Conscience


  (in Islam) can give Muslims a sense of what Allah would like them to do
• Prophet Muhammad: 'When a thing disturbs your heart, give it up'
• Conscience in Islam should not be used as a substitute for the Qur'an or Sunnah
• Revelation


  (in Buddhism) truths taught by the Buddha and other enlightened teachers, not an intervention of a God
• Bible


  (in Christianity) God's word or contains God's words
• Christian perspectives on the Bible

  • Liberal Christians - words written about God, need interpretation
  • Literalist/Fundamentalist Christians - literally the true voice of God
  • Conservative Christians - word of God as revealed to people, with some mistakes
• Qur'an


  (in Islam) the direct word of Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
• Hindu scriptures


  • Shruti (most ancient, including Vedas)
  • Smriti (interpret Vedas and provide ideas for application)
• Siddhartha Gautama's journey to enlightenment


  1. Gave up life of comfort

  2. Became an ascetic, wandered and searched for truth

  3. Fasted until near starvation, then moved to Middle Way
• Middle Way


  A path between luxury and poverty, which Siddhartha Gautama called the Middle Way
• Omnipotent


  All Powerful, has unlimited power
• Omniscient


  Knowing everything, past, present and future
• Personal God


  Someone you can have a relationship with, like a friend
• Impersonal God


  God can be unknowable and mysterious, more like a force
• Immanent God


  God is involved and active in the world
• Transcendent God


  God is beyond time and space and not active in the universe
• Arguments against the idea of revelation

  • General revelation (natural world, conscience, goodness, morality, scriptures)
  • Special revelation (dreams, visions, miracles, prophecies)
• Regained sight through a vision of Ananias

  In Damascus, Saul had a vision of a man named Ananias, who laid his hands on him and prayed for him. As a result, Saul's sight was restored.